The Lady of Time
by minerva's-kitten
Summary: Normally when a time turner is used it takes you back to the place you were at the time you went back to. But, where would it send you if the time you went back to was a time when you were not born?
1. Chapter 1

**I Own nothing. Little Time Turner story.**

**Chapter 1: _Broken Blackness_**

It had happened so suddenly. One of the ghosts had walked through the two friends on their way to see the new Headmistress. The feeling of icy water you get when a ghost passes through you is something you never get used to.

Hermione shivered and the small object in her hand slipped through her fingers.

At first it was happening in slow motion. Both heroes reached to catch the object, but it kept falling. Slowly and gracefully it fell till it shattered in dozens of pieces on the ground. From that moment, everything was flung into high speeds.

Faces and objects flew by so quickly it made the friends dizzy and loose their footing. Harry grabbed hold of Hermione as they both fell through the ever speeding time.

Normally when a time turner is used it takes you back to the place you were at the time you went back to. But, where would it send you if the time you went back to was a time when you were not born?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: _Rhymes and Time_**

Hermione woke up first. She looked around and shook her friend as panic began to set in.

"Harry! Harry wake up!"she hissed in urgency.

Harry's eyes woke and adjusted to the light. They found themselves in a filthy alleyway.

"Where are we?" Harry groaned sitting up.

"Actually Harry, it might be when are we..." she said biting her lip.

"Oh right...the time turner broke," he frowned.

"Yes and Harry those sands aren't supposed to touch air... I'm not sure where or when we are. It should have taken us back to where we were in the castle."

Harry grabbed a nearby paper and frowned, "Maybe it's because we aren't born yet. Look at the date of this paper!"

"October 3rd 1893!? Harry we're over 100 years in the past!"

After getting over the initial shock of how far back in time they had gone, the two friends ventures into the crisp air. They were in a street in muggle London.

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked as they walked.

"He's quite young in this time. I don't know he'd be of the mind set to believe us," Hermione sighed.

"Well...who would?"

"No one."

"What?!"

"Harry, the wizards Tarus and Merlin meddled with time but were never able to adequately prefect it! A witch did but it's still twenty years before even SHE does that! Right now she's a child and..." Hermione suddenly stopped her eyes growing wide.

"And what? Hermione?" he turned around and frowned seeing her eyes, "What?"

_Time is Fickle and so are her People_

_When you are in a Pickle call upon her Twinkle_

_Go to the beginning and start again_

_She can help you you return from where you began_

"What? Hermione speak English."

"That is English!" she sighed rolling her eyes, "It's a rhyme that McGonagall told me."

"Well ….how does it help?"

"The witch that created the time turner from Tarus and Merlin's notes is alive in this time. She's only 12 or 13, but even at that age she was a genius. If we can find her she may be the only person that can help us get back to our own time!"

"Great! So where does she live?"

Hermione frowned and shut her eyes trying to remember all the headmistress had told her about the time turners.

Another rhyme came to her.

_To find her true you must go to where the sky is not blue._

_To find a lion of guile you must return to her mire_

_Salazar's den is for a crafty lion_

_A home of light in a moor of the night_

"Salazar's Mire?" Harry frowned.

Hermione nodded, "Her family home was in the Salazar's Mire. It's in a northern part of Scotland I think."

It took several hours, but the two Gryffindors finally found themselves in the village that birthed one of the most prolific founders and dark wizards known.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: _Lion's Den in a Snake's Hollow_**

"Talk about no blue sky," Harry blinked as they came out of the woods into the village.

To a muggle the area was a desolate piece of mucky mire.

"To the student sand other magicals it was a village of mansions and expensive shops. The sky above had been put under heavy charms to block out the sun.

"Harry we're looking for a white brick manor...none of these homes look welcoming at all," Hermione whispered.

"We'll walk further in maybe its at the outer edge towards the other piece of woods."

The two transfigured leaves into cloaks and pulled the hoods up around them. They kept their heads down as they roamed the streets of the village. They found no home of white brick, but at the outer most region of the village was a ruin still smoldering.

They approached the area and found a figure with hand and wand raised working to rebuild a crumbling wall of the ruin.

As they approached the figure they saw it was a girl no older than 13. Her nose was bleeding from the exhertion she was putting forth, but soon a whole side of the home was rebuilt. The blackened and burnt brick turned a creamy ivory color.

The girl fell to her knees sighing, "This will take forever."

"What happened?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

The girl turned glaring at the two. Harry and Hermione were gawking because her hair, eyes, and facial features kept morphing rapidly. They weren't sure what she looked like.

"Come to finish the job? Don't mistake who you've pissed off. I killed all of them and I'll kill you as well!"

"No, no," Hermione held her hands up. "We're not going to hurt you. We'll help you rebuild if you can help us get back home."

"Home?" she frowned and stood sniffing the air her eyes narrowed. "You must belong to Godric's Hollow or some place in the muggle world. You have the stench of new not old on you."

"I'm...I'm a muggle born...Harry's mother was a muggleborn and he was raised by muggles...I'm Hermione..."

"Muggles that liked the taste of magic to give you such a beautiful magical name."

Hermione blushed.

"What are these peculiar clothing choices you have?"

"We're from another time. We've come from the future. We need your help to get back," Hermione stated.

"How could I help you?" she'd stopped morphing and was standing with her onyx curls blowing in the wind her emerald eyes blazed with emotions and her skin was pale. She was like a beautiful ghost.

"The device that broke and sent us here was one you invented. One day you will prefect a time travel device. You will work at the Ministry."

The girl snorted.

"You'll head two departments. You'll work with time and love. You'll create and discover some very powerful spells."

"Why would I ever work at a place that would allow this?" she asked gesturing behind her, "A place that destroyed monarchy only so they could control our lives? Why would I ever assist people that are blind to the fact that magic can ever evolve and become more powerful."

"Because you wanted to spy. You became friends with a wizard that was darkened by sorrow. You helped him find the twinkle in his eye and he gave you a life. He will raise your son as his own and give you three more," Hermione stated.

The girl blinked as her hand went to her stomach. "You...you know the truth?"

"I know you were raped and the Mire sprang against your family because they were throwing you out. You're the only one that survived the attack. You believed your unborn child protected you. You were right, and it was why you began studying the powers of Love. You also studied time because you wanted to know if people could reverse one wrong action and change things for the better. You were a creator, a wife, and mother. You will do so much with your life and never once will you falter. You became strong because of what they did. They didn't break you," Hermione said tears in her eyes.

"How do you know all of this? Do you work for me?" She frowned.

"No," Hermione shook her head, "We were students of your eldest daughter. She's headmistress in our time. She gave me the device you made. She told me rhymes you made for her in case she was lost in time. She spoke of you with her eyes shining. You were her hero."

Harry watched all this silently. He had known Hermione spent a few hours every Sunday with McGonagall over the years. He hadn't known all this.

The girl wiped at a tear from her eyes, "I was her hero?"

"Are. You are still alive in our time."

"I'll help you. It's the least I can do for my granddaughter."

"Oh I'm not..."

"I see both your eyes. You care very much for my daughter. I can imagine she cares the same. You are therefore my grandchildren and I will find a way to get you home."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: _Servants and Friends_**

It had been several weeks since the two friends had arrived in the moor that birthed Salazar Slytherin. They'd helped Cytheria rebuild half of her manor. The white bricks made a starch contrast to everything around it.

When they were not rebuilding the manor, Hermione would repeatedly show Cytheria the memory of the time turner breaking. Cytheria always made notes and if she ventured further than that into Hermione's mind, neither ever said.

Harry had learned a lot over the last few weeks. Mostly that this Cytheria Harris had graduated Hogwarts that summer after just a year in the school. She was a certified genius. He had also learned that the one year she had been at Hogwarts she had been the youngest seeker ever. The title he had taken when he started Hogwarts.

Cytheria was only 13, but already at a high magical level. The spells she could do, even Harry and Hermione were still learning.

She was even a master at Occlumency.

When Hermione and Cytheria had their mind sessions Harry would venture into the woods around the village.

He had returned on several occasions with house elves and centaurs. Creatures that had apparently belong to the Harris family and that Cytheria had forced to fled so they wouldn't be hurt when her family was killed.

As it turned out, Cytheria had not really liked her family, but had loved them, and had often thought the elves and centaurs as extended family.

Hermione for once had not protested about the creatures because she had noticed the elves had clothes. They were free yet still wanted to serve the young girl.

With elves and Centaurs the manor was moving along even faster.

"So how far along are you?" Harry asked helping to stabilize a support beam at the south end of the house.

"In what?" the woman grunted slightly as she was refusing bricks and glass together. She was doing most of the work herself. They had quickly learned not to upset her on that.

"You're pregnancy."

"The baby will come in the new year. I want my house back by Christmas."

"You're that far already? You're barely showing," Harry blinked.

"Not all pregnancies are the same," She sighed lowering her wand and wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Mistress intruders!" the head elf Tosh shouted.

She spun around and flung four spells before Harry could draw his wand.

Hermione's scream was heard and the shout of a Centaur call Hanz.

"GET OFF MY LAND!" Cytheria roared. Her voice was echoing like a lion's war as a blast of blue light shot from the core of her body out towards the fog that had made things hard to see for the last two days.

There were sounds that told them someone or something had fallen. Cytheria pulled Harry over to where Hanz and Hermione were as two other centaurs went to investigate.

"Is she hurt?"

"Minor cut on her arm. I grabbed her in time milady," the centaur stated.

Cytheria frowned examining the cut as she mumbled quietly running her fingers over the mark. It healed, but then she noticed the words carved in Hermione's arm. Her constant reminder of Bellatrix.

"Mudblood?" Cytheria spoke quietly.

There was a shuffling heard as the centaurs dragged three older men towards them. Two looked burned.

"Lestrange, Crabbe, Goyle. I should have known." Cytheria hissed.

"I don't know how you survived but you and your bastard and all of these should be dead," Lestrange spat.

The man looked a lot like Rudolphus. Harry guessed that this must be the man's father or grandfather.

"You and your kind aren't wanted you slut," Crabbe grunted.

"My kind? Look at what the pure kind did to ME!" she shrieked pointing her wand at them. There were no words spoken but the men began to scream in agony as if they were crucioed.

"Cytheria stop it," Hermione cried.

The witch released her spell snorting, "Listen as a muggleborn pleads for me to let you live."

The men glared at Hermione.

"See this Hermione? You are good and kind and your kindness is met with disrespect. Disrespect and rudeness is not tolerated!" the girl exclaimed as she took a dagger from her hip holster. She came over and drug the blade across a different part of each man's skin. The marks became black and seem to glow like a burning ember as they screamed.

"Run home and leave me in peace. Never will your marks heal, but never will they kill you. Forever you are weakened to be able to do nothing but first year type magic. Punish you are for destroying those that had not harmed you, but had only proved they were clever where you were stupid."

The men held their wounds stumbling to the main part of the village vowing she'd regret it.

"No more will you and the elves help me men," She said looking at her centaurs, "Guard my land wells. Leave the Manor to me. When it is completed retreat back to building where we will make sure no one unworthy ever gets to us again."

The creatures bowed and ran or popped away to set up the living fence she had asked for.

She turned to the teenagers. She sounded much older than they were. Her wisdom made her seem well beyond the age of a teenager.

"The manor must be done by the next full moon. I believe I can use the moon to create a powerful protection on this land and I can also send you home."

The two nodded as they all separated to continue their work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: _Moonlight_**

Working nearly day and night the three humans finished rebuilding the home. Harry and Hermione had been in the wrong time for two months, but they didn't think anything had been upset since they never left the Harris lands.

The home was finished just a few hours before the full moon would be directly over the manor.

"Please go up to the roof and hold hand and wait. If my spell works you will be sent back to a minute before the turner broke so you can stop yourself from breaking it. It will not be that you see yourself, but that you are yourself. You will be back in those bodies."

Harry and Hermione nodded heading in the house. As they walked though the rebuilt, but empty manor they could see the shimmering outside as the girl performed her protection spells.

"You said she was alive in our world. When we get back would Minerva let us meet her?"

"I am certain," Hermione nodded.

They arrived on the roof as the dome settled in over the 40 acres of land.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand as they heard Cytheria begin her new spell.

_These cubs do not belong in my time_

_I call upon the powers that be to send them back_

_Return the students to the castle_

_Return the children to the Den Mother_

_A hundred more years and then some must pass before their eyes_

_Time be my friend and do as I command_

_Fly through the years and create an arch. _

_Moon come forth and shine bright_

_Let your power send my daughter's love to it's rightful spot._

_Turn forward the clock and reset!_

_Time forward Time Restart!_

Winds began to whip around the students and they were lifted into the air holding tightly to each other as they spun out of control.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: _Lady Harris_**

Harry and Hermione inhaled deeply feeling the ghost walk through them again and the time turner fell from her hands. This time Harry was able to capture the device before it shattered.

The two friends breathed in relief and grinned as they started to laugh.

"Something funny Miss Granger, Mr. Potter?"

They turned seeing the headmistress walking towards them.

The friends grinned and ran at her engulfing her in a tight hug.

"What the...ah.." she said seeing the turner, "So it's happened then. Mother never told me how old you two were when you visited."

"So that's why you asked I remember the spells?" Hermione smiled, "You knew it would happened."

Minerva smiled, "Eventually."

"May we meet her again?" Harry asked.

"Certainly. I was asked by the new Minister to bring you for lunch. Shall we go?"

The friends grinned nodding. Lady Harris would be at Albus Dumbledore's home. He was the new minister. With Voldemort gone the man had finally accepted the position and Minerva had taken over as headmistress.

The two friends blinked in awe. They were back in Salazar's Mire and it looked completely different. It was bright and welcoming like Godric's Hollow. The blue sky and sun shown down. There were still many mansions, but the whole area was brighter than ever.

"Wow," Harry blinked."

"You two had quite the impact. There aren't many death eaters living in this place anymore. My mother pushed them all out and advocated the four Hollows that thee founders were born in should only house those that understand the true importance of Hogwarts. The ideals the founders had _before_ Salazar's pureblood mindset got in the way. When he was still a good man." Minerva explained.

The friends nodded heading through the town many people greeted Minerva.

The one white manor in the village was still the only white manor. The ivory stones gleamed brilliantly in the high noon sun.

"There you are. Mr. Potter, Miss Granger pleasure," A handsome man with black hair slicked back and bright green eyes stated. He was coming out of the woods towards the three in a brown button up shit. The sleeves were rolled up and his pants were khaki with brown sneakers.

"Harry, Hermione this is Ares." Minerva stated as the man held her close. He was rather tall and broad making the headmistress smaller.

"The unborn baby you may have met," the man winked.

The friends shook his hand staring up at him. "I would have thought shed have shown more with a baby like you," Harry quipped.

Ares laughed clapping the boy's back, "We all started out pretty small to be honest, but we're all 5'9 or taller. Mom knows how to grow em!"

He led the group in the home that looked much different than before. It was now full of pictures furniture and knick knacks. It was well kept and beautiful like out of a museum or magazine.

Hermione stopped Harry as a picture caught her eye. A silver frame of a wedding. A little boy clung to a man's leg as he swept a woman in his arms kissing her.

"Look how in love Cytheria and Albus were," Hermione sighed.

Harry nodded. He had found out from Hermione while they were still in the past that Albus was the man she had told Cytheria about.

"Still are," Ares chuckled. He led them into the dining room where Cytheria and Albus were setting the table with several different dishes.

"Perfect as usual," Albus chuckled kissing his wife's head as she adjusted a glass and plate.

"Well one does try...there you lot are!" She exclaimed twirling out of Albus' arms and hurried to the group.

She hugged Harry and then Hermione smiling. Age had been very kind to her and it was more apparent now how much Minerva resembled her mother.

"Please sit. We've been waiting for when we could finally tell you two about all this."

The group sat down to eat as Cytheria told the kids much of what happened after she sent the kids back.

"Theia told me about your trip about two years into our marriage. I knew she should keep studying Time and convinced the Ministry to hire her. Didn't take long for her to sky rocket to the head of the Department of Time and Love. She kept turning down the top spot of head of the whole Mystery department, though."

"Until Minerva's attack from Umbridge. I gladly took over and rallied most of the Ministry, especially when Voldemort took us over. I led the attack that took out the death eaters the night you fought at Hogwarts, Harry. When we cleared out the Ministry I had to put my foot down and insist Albus finally take the Minister spot."

"Brings us to now. What are you two going to do now anyway?" Albus asked.

"Well when the turner broke we were coming to see Minerva. I was hoping to get a job at the school. Hermione wanted to return her time turner," Harry explained.

"Harry why don't you teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and Hermione come apprentice with me," Cytheria grinned.

"Mom, I was going to take Defense Professor," Ares frowned like a child.

"You can be the Transfiguration Professor and Severus really should go back to being the Potions Master when he's recovered." Cytheria stated.

"Fine," Ares sighed.

"How is Snape?" Harry asked.

"Doing much better Potter," A snarky voice stated in the door way.

Ares got up and helped the younger man into a seat as Cytheria gave him a plate of food.

"I'm glad to see you doing better," Hermione smiled.

"I was sent home soon as Poppy stabilized me. St. Mungo's could have never stopped the poison."

"It is very fortunate that your mother was kidnapped in the first part of the Voldemort war so she could get a bit of Nagini's venom." Albus nodded.

"It's never fortunate. Mom always plans to get caught to help you, dad," Ares laughed.

"True. I am indebted to her." Albus smiled squeezing his wife's hand.

"Truly we are indebted to Hermione and Harry. Without you falling, I'd have never known the amazing turns of my life. I have a loving husband, five wonderful children and many grandchildren because my children followed after their father to Hogwarts. Hogwarts houses many little ones of ours whether they ever know it or not. Time is dangerous and wonderful and look at all that can come from it."

"To the Lady of Time herself. May she forever discover its mysteries and teach us it's beauty," Albus grinned.

"Cheers To the Lady!" the children saluted.


End file.
